Last Tuesday, Reitzig and fifteen other mothers drove from their Maryland homes, purchased raw milk from an Amish farm and publicly caravanned back to Maryland.

The federal government calls it a crime.

Reitzig calls it an exercise in liberty.

The FDA bans transportation of unpasteurized raw milk across state lines. Government officials insist the unpasteurized milk poses a health risk because of its susceptibility to contamination from cow manure, a source of E. coli. In 1987, the feds implemented 21 CFR 1240.61(a), which provides that, “no person shall cause to be delivered into interstate commerce or shall sell, otherwise distribute, or hold for sale or other distribution after shipment in interstate commerce any milk or milk product in final package form for direct human consumption unless the product has been pasteurized.”

Protesting a recent surge in federal enforcement of the rule, Reitzig organized the milk run with other mothers. It wasn’t done on the sly. In fact, she says the group invited the FDA to come to the Pennsylvania – Maryland border and witness the crime.

“We made a big point of showing what we were doing,” Reitzig said.

The feds declined the invitation.

But others joined the caravan along I-95, cars decorated with signage proclaiming their criminal intent. After committing the forbidden act, the group proceeded to the steps of the building housing the FDA offices in Maryland and consumed the contraband. According to Reitzig, about 150 people joined the rally in front of the FDA headquarters. Other than the visible presence of numerous Department of Homeland Security officers, the feds didn’t take any actions against the lawbreakers.

With respect to the interstate sale and distribution of raw milk, the FDA has never taken, nor does it intend to take, enforcement action against an individual who purchased and transported raw milk across state lines solely for his or her own personal consumption.

But the feds have aggressively gone after producers of raw milk selling their product over state lines. In April 2010, armed federal agents raided a small Amish dairy farm in Kinzer, Pa., part of a yearlong sting operation. In April of this year, the feds filed suit in court to stop Rainbow Acres Farm from selling raw milk to customers in suburban Washington D.C. The San Francisco Chronicle documents several raw milk raids in California, “including a guns-drawn raid on the Rawsome buying club in Venice.”

Reitzig says that the escalation of enforcement against the farmers with the feds employing undercover agents and armed raids pushed her to take action. She wants to send the federal government a message.

“It’s a complete waste of money and an aggressive use of force,” she said. “It’s not acceptable. We’re not putting up with it. This is not acceptable in a free society.”

The FDA insists its concern simply lies in protecting the public.

“It is the FDA’s position that raw milk should never be consumed,” agency spokeswoman Tamara N. Ward said.

That’s well and good, says Reitzig, pointing out that Americans can choose to avoid foods the FDA advises against. But she insists her choice to buy something from a farmer she knows and trusts poses no risk to anybody else.

“They don’t need to criminalize me to keep you safe,” she said.

Tenth Amendment Center director Michael Boldin says banning the interstate sale of raw milk does not even fall within the powers of the federal government under the Constitution. While the FDA goes to great lengths to point out it only regulates interstate distribution, leaving intrastate regulation of raw milk to the states, Boldin says the FDA position still stretches the meaning of the commerce clause beyond the breaking point.

“If, like any legal document, the words of the constitution mean today the same as they meant the moment the people ratified it, we need to understand the meaning of the word regulate, in regards to commerce, from the time of the founding,” he said. “And regulate most certainly did not mean control, prohibit, mandate, or ban.”

Reitzig says the push to enforce the raw milk ban is indicative of a broader expansion of federal power and demonstrates the government’s willingness to use force and violence to impose its will upon citizens. She calls this a “gateway issue” that has the potential to make more people aware of the danger of centralized power, because food policy affects everybody, bridging typical political divides.

“It’s such a fundamental issue, how we feed ourselves and how we feed our family,” she said.

She points out the hypocrisy of federal regulators insisting raw milk poses a grave danger, while approving other foods and medications demonstrably harmful.

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Well known Virginia holistic farmer Joel Salatin joined the protest in Maryland. He echos Reitzig’s point.

The FDA considers it “perfectly safe to feed your kids Mountain Dew, Twinkies and Cocoa Puffs, but it’s unsafe to feed them raw milk, compost-grown tomatoes and Aunt Matilda’s pickles,” he told the San Francisco Chronicle.

Reitzig says she hopes this issue will open people’s eyes.

“If the government is lying to you about the food we eat, what else is it lying about?”

81 thoughts on “Message to the FDA: “I Drink Raw Milk. Arrest Me!””

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“The FDA bans transportation of unpasteurized raw milk across state lines. Government officials insist the unpasteurized milk poses a health risk because of its susceptibility to contamination from cow manure, a source of E. coli.”

OK, so what next? Will they ban breastfeeding because of the possibility, however unlikely, of contamination from human feces?

Not only is this FDA overregulation, its simply nonsensical and fiscally irresponsible. There’s easily dozens of other, more serious, more life threatening issues that require FDA attention and resources that are being diverted to regulate the sale of raw milk. Just like Dick Durbin’s assault on dietary supplements.http://eng.am/tZiaWt

“If we are not even free anymore to decide something as basic as what we wish to eat or drink, how much freedom do we really have left?”

Paul was talking about the FDA ban on the interstate sale of raw milk for human consumption â€” milk that has not been pasteurized. The ban began in 1987, but the FDA didn’t really begin enforcing it seriously until 2006 — when the government began sting operations and armed raids of dairy farmers and their willing customers.

The New American reports:

“Even if the FDA were correct in its assertions about the dangers of raw milk, its prohibition on interstate raw milk sales would still be, as Paul termed it, ‘an unconstitutional misapplication of the commerce clause for legislative ends’ …

Saying he is ‘outraged’ by the FDA’s raids on peaceful dairy farmers and their customers, Paul has introduced legislation … ‘to allow the shipment and distribution of unpasteurized milk and milk products for human consumption across state lines,’ in effect reversing the FDA’s unconstitutional ban on such sales.”

The “Food Safety Modernization Act” that was enacted earlier this year gives the FDA almost unlimited authority to decide if food is harmful, even without credible evidence. But farmers who have been persecuted by the FDA for selling raw milk, like Amish Farmer Dan Allgyer, are not backing down. Allgyer’s case is going to court.

Citizens are irate that the FDA allows damaging junk food, but prevents people from making an educated, informed food choice in purchasing raw grass-fed milk.

According to the Washington Times, Attorney Jonathan Emord, who has defeated the FDA in court eight times, is focusing on the deeper issues that this case stems from.

Emord says:

“We would not be here today were it not for the fact that over the past seventy-five years, the Congress of the United States has delegated away to some 230 independent regulatory commissions the power to make law, the power to execute the law, and the power to judge law violation. That delegation of governing power from Congress to the unelected heads of the regulatory agencies violates the Constitution, which vests exclusively in Congress the obligation to make law”.

Only one person represents us or deserves to be called “honorable”: Ron Paul. However, the remedy for the unconstitutional power assumed by government on any level is not another law. We have too much government and law now. We need to stop acting as our own destroyers. We need to stop sanctioning a duel moral code: one for individuals, and another for authorities. The authorities act immorally and should be stopped. Public resistance and condemnation is needed. We can start by refusing to fund immoral conduct. Just say NO! to taxation. Also, mass rebellion against all the immoral laws is needed. Jury nullification will put the government on notice that they are limited by us.

She’s not breaking the law; she isn’t engaging in commerce. This is hype and accomplishes nothing.

We the Sheeple are scattered and fragmented by the wolves, kept from UNITING in FORCE as ONE. They use division tactics in religion, politics, socio-economics, geographics, and any other method to keep US divided, bickering, fighting; anything to keep US from UNITING in FORCE. FORCE is the ONLY thing the WOLF understands; they use it effectively to keep the SHEEP terrorized and fearful and divided.

Want to change everything? UNITE! OCCUPY isn’t getting it done! Voting is not going to do it! Appealing to the WOLF won’t change it! Marching and singing songs is a waste of time.

Put aside religious differences, political differences, socio-economic differences, geographic differences, race, color or creed differences and UNITE as ONE FORCE against the status quo Democrat and Republicans, bankers, wealthy elite, socialist elitists statists, employers, big business, and anyone else dividing the sheep. Force is all they know, all they use and all they FEAR! So let’s GIVE them some of their own BS right back in their faces!

@PhilipMurray888 mind you, that under current federal view of the commerce clause this certainly IS something they claim the lower to control. So while she actually acknowledges that the FDA doesn’t sound resources on pure consumers, the goal is to bring awareness, and it’s working.

Now if you happen to be aware already, don’t get mad at the fact that others aren’t, and this good person is trying to help them. Thats arrogant of you, and not helpful at all.

Over run the Government by yanking their britches down and spanking their sorry rebellious asses. Washington DC is full of full grown brat children that are in need of punishment,, Jail time,, (lots of it) might work. Or remember Mussolini back in WW2 an what it took to deal with his rebellious ass,, Hey whatever it takes works for me.

Well if I go to my local grocery story an buy a gallon of FDA APPROVED Boiled milk then I like millions of other stupid sheep just became the purchaser of a product that under commerce laws is not supposed to be legal to sell without stating or disclosing the contents like THE HORMONES , THE STEROIDS , and the synthetic vitamin D that is added and is useless as an absorbent vitamin. GOT MILK ?? if its FDA milk you can keep it.

Tenth Amendment Centre manager Michael Boldin says banning the interstate sale of raw dairy does not even fall in the powers of the federal government under the Constitution. Even while the FDA goes to great measures to aim out it only controls interstate distribution, leaving intrastate regulation of uncooked dairy to the states, Boldin can say the FDA positioning still stretches the meaning of the commerce clause beyond the busting aim.